Volvo Heritage to close.
 

This in today from Volvo in Sweden:

"As a consequence of the re-organisations and structural changes Volvo Car Corporation is undergoing at present, Heritage Marketing, sub-department to Customer Relationship Marketing, will cease to exist. This is a result of a senior management decision and will be effectuated January 1st 2006."
_____________________________
Robert Isaac
Volvo Owners Club
Director and Web Admin

RE: Volvo Heritage to close.
 

...effectuated?

Was this written by George Bush?

RE: Volvo Heritage to close.
 

I think it is Swedish English.

Bob
_____________________________
Robert Isaac
Volvo Owners Club
Director and Web Admin

RE: Volvo Heritage to close.
 

>This in today from Volvo in Sweden:
>
>"As a consequence of the re-organisations and structural
>changes Volvo Car Corporation is undergoing at present,
>Heritage Marketing, sub-department to Customer Relationship
>Marketing, will cease to exist. This is a result of a senior
>management decision and will be effectuated January 1st
>2006."
>_____________________________
>Robert Isaac
>Volvo Owners Club
>Director and Web Admin

Very sad, what will happen to the cars??
Matt

RE: Volvo Heritage to close.
 

I fear this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The cutbacks at Saab began in this fashion, ending up in a directive from GM head office to cut back the support for old models (92/96/99, and soon the first type 900) so that only basic service items will be available.

There is actually more bad news this week in the form of Volvo's new model announcement.

The new C70 will be based on Ford's 'flexible' C1 platform, as will replacements for the S80, V70, S60, XC70, and two new additional models: an entry level C30 and a 4wd XC50. It states clearly that the S60 will be developed with the next Ford Mondeo.

If that wasn't bad enough, Volvo's new SI6, 4 valve per cylinder straight six will be produced at Ford's Bridgend plant in Wales from May 2006.

If this all sounds eerily familiar, it is, as Volvo are slated to become the next Jaguar - wiping out anything that doesn't fit the Ford corporate image and replacing it with Ford tat!

The only upside to this is that Ford are, much like GM in dire financial straits, and may go bust before the get to destroy Volvo lock stock and barrel. We can only hope.

RE: Ford into bankruptcy protection......
 

With this a particular consideration for both Ford and GM looking more likely, back comes the story of talks between Renault and Ford where the Volvo car business ends up in Renault's control.

The purchase of the Volvo car business by Renault would bring things back full circle to somewhere near the deal skuppered by Volvo's Scandinavian institutional investors that would have seen an amalgamation of the two businesses.

Volvo now own the Renault truck business and Renault would add the Volvo premium car brand to their highly successfull car business...just look at the Renault turn arround of Nissan.

Would you rather have a Volvo C350Z than a new C70.....or maybe a Volvo C90 Skyline GT-R?


Don Norchi.

Badge engineering is alive and well - despite what they say...
 

... and I thought the BMC badge engineering experience would have killed it stone dead.

It's funny how both GM and Ford promised that the 'culture' and 'distinctiveness' of both Saab and Volvo were safe in their hands. They promised that the local design teams would stay intact in their native lands designing pure Saabs and Volvos for infinity.Of course they admitted they would be using economies of scale but both parent brand and new acquisition would benefit from this by having cheaper components developed with the strength of the parent brand behind them. I havn't got the press releases at the time but the messages from both were distinctly similar.

However US car making culture doesn't work in that way. Think how the 'big three' developed post WW2. They all developed a stable of brands which , eventually, had only their badges and trim to distinguish them. The accountants always rule the roost and the temptation to 'harmonise' and increase profits is far too strong to resist. GM must be the forunner of this with Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadilac sharing engines, platforms and basic components from as early as the 1940's. It was a marketeers dream - 5 brands serving everyone from the dustman to the millionaire.

Cynically Volvo was a brand with an identity and customer base to be plundered. People who would never buy Fords could be sold... well Fords with a different badge. The outcome is inevitable, indistinguishable products desperatley hanging on to brand identity on the strength of a badge on the nose.

GM are still advertising Saab on the strength of it's aircraft manufacturing background ( thats why it's different - it's built like a plane!) a decade after Saabs became Vectras with a funny snoot.

Sad - but inevitable.

Hooray it will be 1950 again! Fords for the common man - Mercurys for those who want a bit more class, Volvos for the middle class, Land Rovers for those who want off road prestige, Lincolns for succesful businessmen, Jaguars for more 'refined' succesful businessmen, Aston Martins for the seriously well off... and like George Orwell's 'Animal Farm' we will look from one to the other and back again and say ...

" We can't tell the difference between them at all"

RE: Ford into bankruptcy protection......
 

I can't believe I am saying this, but I think I want Renault to buy Volvo!

I cannot see myself buying any Forvos, especially now that the cat is out of the bag with the Focus ST, which is just a Volvo with a Ford badge or a Ford with Volvo bits. I will probably end up sticking with my proper scandinavian C70 until it dies.

Dan.

RE: Ford into bankruptcy protection......
 

Whatever next....

The D5 engine in a Transit van?


Don Norchi.

Dan....you know your tempted.....an S60R or Volvo coupe based on the new Nissan Skyline engine and drivetrain.

RE: Badge engineering is alive and well - despite what they say...
 

The one major problem with older large manufacturing companies these days is that they are becoming life assurance/pension companies, with a smaller manufacturing business on the side.
I believe that for every car GM make, there's about $1500 that goes into pension/healthcare payments.